A New Mission
by emjac
Summary: Picking up where Horatio and my original character, Jenna, left off, Horatio is unhappy with Jenna's latest assignment.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I was thinking of crackers and cheese yesterday and this popped into my mind. Hope you like it.**

The door clicked open and the alarm beeped as she placed the last piece of gruyere on the wooden platter. Jenna licked her fingers and turned to the open bottle of Merlot that was breathing on the counter. Horatio's glass was filled by the time he entered the kitchen. She handed it to him as he greeted her. "Hi," he said and placed a kiss on her lips. Jenna picked up the tray and led the way to the living room where she deposited it on the coffee table. "What do we have here?" he asked.

"Dinner," she said with a flourishing gesture to the display of meats and cheeses.

"Cheese and crackers? You cooked. I'm impressed," he said.

"Hey! Be nice. That is a pretty nice charcuterie."

"Charcuterie, huh? Fancy."

"Alright," she said, "enough. It's been a bad day. That's all I had energy to pull together tonight."

He reached for a couple of pieces of cheese and tossed them in his mouth. "Rough day?" When the reply was her nodding head and slightly haunted look in her eyes he added, "Want me to cook you something more substantial?"

"No. I'm not really very hungry. Sorry if you wanted more."

"No worries." He removed his jacket and tossed it aside. Lifting his wine glass with one hand and tugging her wrist with the other, he pulled both on them onto the couch. "This is perfect." A satisfying swig of wine preceded the bite of salami that she placed on his tongue. He closed his eyes for a moment enjoying the mixture of tastes and textures, but the tension oozing off his girlfriend dominated the room. Looking down at her, he kissed her mouth again then said, "What happened?"

While she always preferred whites to red, she enjoyed the taste of wine that lingered on her lips from his. "No," she said. "Not yet." She shimmied away from him to the opposite end of the couch and opened the drawer of the side table. He watched her remove a red lipstick and slowly apply it. Horatio used to think that Jenna was careless when he found tubes of lipsticks in random spots throughout the house. It didn't take long for him to realize they were placed in strategic places so she never had to go far to find one. Never a lipstick man, his attitude towards the cosmetic changed when he discovered his lover's ambition.

By the time he found his voice, the lipstick had been applied with perfection and she was fiddling with his belt. He placed his hand on top of hers in a half hearted attempt to halt her actions. "You don't have to do this, Jen. You've had a bad day."

She pushed him away and continued her task. "It relaxes me." She stopped her hands for a second and looked up at him through the hair that had fallen over her face. "Please, Lieutenant," she said. "Don't make me beg."

"Oh, my God." His voice was a murmur as he ran his hand over her head and allowed her to continue.

A bit later, he leaned back against the couch trying to steady his breathing and tracing Jenna's jawline with his fingers as she lay with her head in his lap. When he trusted his voice, he spoke. "You are amazing."

A smile pulled a her lips and she sat up and locked eyes with him. "I love you," she said.

The expression in her eyes worried him. "I love you, too," he said. "Come here." He drew her up so that she straddled his lap and kept looking through her, trying to decipher what he saw. "What is it?" he asked.

"I'm scared.".

He blinked, confused. "Of me?" He moved his hands up to hold the sides of her face.

"Please," she said, "try not to be mad." Her eyes were wet with threatening tears. "I'm going undercover. Tomorrow."

His blue eyes darkened and his hands dropped to rest on her hips. "Jenna," was all that he could get out.

Now feeling the need to spill all the details as fast as possible she said, "It won't be for long. I may be done in a day or two. It's a drug and prostitution ring we've been working forever. There will be eyes and ears on me the whole time. It's a quick in and out operation. It's the only way."

"No," he said. "It's not the only way and there will not be eyes and ears on you the whole time. That's not possible. Find another way."

She removed herself from his lap and sat on the other end of the couch. "There's no other way. We've exhausted all our other means. And you have no say in this. Everything has been arranged. I go in tomorrow night." She knew his history with undercover work, his brother's story. She knew his fears, but she had to do this. "I know you're worried, Horatio, but everything will be ok. Wilkes will be close. He won't let anything happen to me."

"You're going in as a prostitute? As bait?"

"Yes."

"It's too dangerous."

"This is my job. It is what I am trained to do, Horatio. Everything has been planned down to the tiniest detail."

"You can't predict everything."

"We can come close," she said. "This isn't my first trip to the rodeo. I know what I'm doing and I have great back up that I trust - that _you_ trust. And you trust me, and my skills, and my instincts." His arm leaned over the back of the couch, his fingers reaching towards her. She entwined her fingers in them. "I'll be alright. I promise."

"You can't promise that," he said. "You don't understand. Undercover changes people."

"You'll help me. You won't let it change me." She moved close to him once again and nestled into his side. "You'll be there for me."

He buried his face in the top of her head and tightened his hold on her. "I will. But I don't like any of this."

"That has been noted," she said, and closed her eyes.

 **Thanks for reading. Please review.**


	2. Chapter 2

Late the following night, Jenna and her partner, Jack Wilkes, were busy getting ready to begin their latest mission. She would be working with an informant and going under as his girlfriend, looking to buy into a portion of the dealing business of a local gang leader. Once she saw the merchandise and was given an offer, the rest of the team would enter and make the bust. Wilkes would be listening in, as well as Bilson, their sargent.

"Lt. Caine know you're doing this?" Jack asked as he worked at attaching the very tiny lead of a wire to the back of her top.

"I don't keep secrets from him."

"You know, there have always been stories running through the city about his brother. About what happened to him. I've heard lots of versions of it."

"If you're looking for gossip here, Wilkes, you're not getting it from me."

"No," he said. Final adjustment completed, he spun her around to look at him. "I'm just thinking that Horatio must be pretty worried right about now."

"Everything will be fine." Jenna was trying to keep her own nerves at bay. Any suggestion that there may be something to worry about was not helpful. "Easy in, easy out. Right?"

"Right," he said. "You've got this, Quinn." He squeezed her shoulder.

Bilson entered the room. "Are we good to go?" he asked.

"Yeah," Jenna said.

"Alright. Give us a safe word, Quinn, in case you get in a jam."

Without thinking too hard, Jenna said, "Gruyere."

Jack scrunched up his face. "Gruyere? Like the cheese?"

"Yeah," she said. "What? It's good."

"How are you going to work that into a conversation with a bunch of gang bangers?" he asked.

"Like this, 'Man, I bet some Gruyere would really liven up this party.'"

Jack chuckled and Bilson rolled his eyes. "Works for me," the sargent said, "Let's go."

MMMMMMMMMM

The plan she set up with Horatio was that she would text him when she finished working for the night, return to the station to clean up, and meet him at his house in the early morning hours. The first night, she wound up there a little after three, fell into his bed, and slept until about noon, not even stirring when he rose to leave for work. Various cases had led them to opposite shifts before, so they were not frazzled by the schedule. But by the second night of dealing with the pain and suffering of those she manipulated throughout her undercover operation, as well as the near constant groping by her informant who tried to make everything appear legit, Jenna realized that she did not want to be near Horatio. She texted him that she was fine, but going home. This continued for two more nights because sometimes an easy in and out operation turns not so easy On night number four, Jenna didn't bother going back to the station to clean up. She went directly from working to collapsing on her bed. Too much alcohol had been drunk, she faked using, and she wound up almost jerking off her pretend boyfriend before the target left them alone. She felt dazed and dirty and had not even bothered to text Horatio, which is why he found himself standing in her bedroom doorway at eight the next morning.

He had entered the apartment using his key and crept to her room taking note of the messy condition of the place along his way. Jenna was never one to be described as messy. If the lack of a text had not alerted him that something was amiss, this certainly did. He wasted no time covering the distance to her room. He stood in the entrance of it for a moment to take in the scene in front of him. Jenna lay on her stomach on top of her covers dressed in a skimpy outfit from the previous night. Her hair tangled down her back. She faced away from him. The most disturbing part of the vision was her service weapon which lay on the pillow next to her head, her hand on it, finger near the trigger. Two long strides brought him to the side of the bed where he leaned over her and placed his hand on top of hers on the gun. He knew this action would startle her awake, so his other hand went to her back and he lowered himself onto the bed. Her eyes opened wide and her grip tightened on the gun, but he kept it stilled. "It's me, Jenna," he said. "It's Horatio." Her body relaxed a bit in recognition of his voice, and his touch, but her hand kept hold of the gun. "Let it go, Jenna. I got it." She obeyed his command. By the time Horatio placed the gun on the bedside table, Jenna had sat up and fallen into his arms.

After a few minutes he said, "You drank a lot." She reeked of alcohol and a whole lot of other stuff. "Did you use?" The shake of her head relieved his fears. He waited a couple of beats to say what he knew she didn't want to hear. "I'm pulling you out."

She pushed herself up and away from him. "You're not my boss," she said. "You can't pull me out."

"I can call your boss."

One call from Caine and the whole operation would fold. They both knew it. "Horatio, don't you dare undermine me."

"Fine. Then you call Bilson. Tell him you're done with this mission."

"And ruin my career? No. I'm close, Horatio. So close. I just need one more night. I can get this done."

"Your life and your health are worth more than your career." He tried to reach for her but she pulled away from him. "Jenna, you're not ok. I promised you I wouldn't let this change you. That I would be here for you, but you've been shutting me out. Because you know you're not ok."

She hated the wounded animal tone he was using on her. "I need a shower. Cook for me. Then let me sleep. That's how you can help me. I'll get this guy tonight and it will all be over. Everything will be fine. I promise."

He tried to believe her.

 **AN: Hope you like this. There aren't many readers left in this group. Please review. Thanks!**


	3. Chapter 3

Jenna's conversation with Horatio played on a loop in her head as she dressed for the night. She thought about little else all day. This operation needed to end. And he was not the only one to voice his objections with the effort. Her sergeant sensed things were getting out of hand, and her partner knew she had crossed lines. They both offered her an out, but she met up with her informant, Jace, and they returned to the house.

As she walked in, hanging onto Jace's arm, she whispered to him that this was the last night. The deal had to go down, no matter what. He gave the slightest of nods, which no one else would have been able to decipher, and began walking through the crowded room looking for their target. They found him seated at the head of a table in a small back room. "Jace!" the man said. "Why you always got that same bitch with you?"

"Don't worry about her. I'm here to make this deal already. Come on, now. We've been talking for days."

"I want a taste of her." Crow grabbed her wrist and yanked her. But Jace had a hold on her other hand and did not let go.

"She's not part of the deal."

"The hell she ain't. It's her or no deal." Both men held firm until the slightest of nods from Crow sent one of his assistants' fists square into Jace's jaw, effecting in his drop of Jenna's hand. Crow wasted no time in dragging her down the hallway and into a bedroom.

At six foot three and three hundred pounds, Crow was a repulsive creature. His long, scraggly hair wrapped in a loose ponytail that seemed some odd extension of his overgrown facial hair. There was a small ring in each earlobe and too many large chains around his neck. It took no effort on his part to toss Jenna onto the bed. His massive frame made Jenna feel smaller than usual and physically powerless. So she needed to outsmart him. Her time was limited, even without using her safe word. The calgary was listening and would barge in at any moment, but she needed a recorded confirmation of the deal or all would be lost. She also knew her partner. He would give her as much time as he could.

"You're going to sell to him, right? If I do this, you'll let him buy in? It's all he's talked about for days."

"'If you do this?' You think you have a choice? Bitch, I do what I want." He straddled her on the bed and punched her hard in the side of her head. Her vision clouded for a moment and she fought the bile that rose into her throat as he covered her mouth in a suffocating attempt at a kiss of sorts, forcing his tongue into her. She caught sight of the decay in his mouth. The odor it emitted was one of death and she stopped her nostrils from smelling as the putrid face invaded hers.

When he finished assaulting her mouth, she gasped for air and he shifted his weight to undo his buckle. She took the opportunity before it disappeared and shifted her own weight in an attempt at flipping him off her. She would have met with success with most men, but Crow was a behemoth. He grabbed her hair with one hand while continuing to free himself from his pants. With that mission accomplished, his fist slammed into the side of her head again. Jenna saw black, but willed her vision to clear and remained conscious. She heard commotion outside the bedroom door before it banged open and Jace came into focus. There was panic in his eyes, but his voice betrayed nothing. "Man, ok, you can have her. Just agree that we have a deal. You'll sell it all to me. The drugs, the names, everything, and you can have her."

"Yeah, man, whatever. It's all yours. Just get the fuck out and shut the door."

The look of relief in Jace's eyes was the last thing Jenna saw before she lost her fight with consciousness.

MMMMMMMMMM

Jenna had settled onto a bed in a cubicle of the emergency room at the insistence of the technicians who brought her there. But now, a half hour later, she reached to remove her IV so she could get up and leave, when the doctor entered the room.

"Detective Quinn, I'm Dr. Hamilton. Sorry to keep your waiting - "

"I'm leaving," she cut him off. "I'm fine."

"Well," he said, not at all threatened because of her slow movements, "while I don't recommend it, there are some people outside who will likely prevent it."

"Yeah?" she asked, "Who?"

"I think he said he was your sergeant? He was loud and kind of scary looking. I don't think I'll be the one to tell him you're leaving . . ."

Jenna looked up at the doctor for the first time since he entered the room. He appeared to be in his mid thirties and had a smile that made her swoon. Or was that her headache? She searched for a witty reply and was disappointed when, "I'm going to pass out again," crossed her lips instead.

Dr. Hamilton reached for her before she could fall and helped her lean back on the bed. He observed her for a moment then asked, "Any better?" in a doctorly tone.

"The spinning is slowing," Jenna said.

He took advantage of this opportunity to conduct a swift examination, knowing the detective would be a flight risk at any sign of recovery. Jenna wanted to protest the probing and questioning, but acquiesced. After a bit Dr. Hamilton said, "You have a slight concussion. Since you've already lost consciousness once and almost lost it again just now, I'm going to keep you here." She looked as if she might protest so he wasted no time in adding, "I won't put you in a room. It's late. Just stay here for a few hours to be monitored. I will reassess you in the morning and may discharge you then."

"Fine," Jenna said, no longer interested in moving, much less arguing.

"How's your pain right now?"

Jenna took a moment to determine the answer to that question. "It's OK."

"Call for a nurse if it worsens. That IV's giving you some relief, but we can adjust the dosage if needed." He reached out and squeezed her calf. She noticed the smile again. "I'm sorry you were hurt, Detective." His voice oozed sincerity, and she felt calm as he left.

Jenna was alone for about five minutes. Long enough for Dr. Hamilton to fill Bilson and Wilkes in on her condition, before they entered the room. Her tougher than nails boss' eyes softened as he studied the bruising that took up the whole side of her face. She watched him chew on his lip, a tic she noticed whenever someone on his team had been wronged. "How you doing, Quinn?" he asked.

"I'll be alright," she said.

Wilkes said, "Not so tough when I'm not there to hold the bad guys down, huh?"

Jenna could not help but smile at his teasing. "Yeah. What the hell took you so long anyway?"

"I was waiting for you to start yelling about Gruyere."

She closed her eyes in a long blink, unable to conjure a retort. When they opened, she found the serious face of her boss. "Crow. Do we have enough?"

"Yes," he said. "Added assault and attempted rape to the list as well. He's out of business for good."

"What about Jace? He's ok?"

Wilkes said, "Statement signed and on his way to witness protection."

"I hate that we had to do that to him."

"He's fine. On his way to a better life."

"I hope so," she said, and her eyes slowly closed. When they opened a moment later,.Horatio stood in the doorway. His presence brought her guard down even further and they all watched her eyes fill with tears and her breathing quicken.

Bilson said, "Let's go, Wilkes. She needs to rest. Quinn," he said and waited for her to look at him. "When the doc says you're clear to work, take another week. That's an order." She nodded, afraid that speaking would release the dam of tears. "You did good, kid." Bilson turned and stuck his hand out to shake Horatio's. "She's a tough cookie, Lieutenant. Take good care of her."

"I intend to," Horatio said and then her and Jenna were alone in the room.

 **AN: One more chapter to go! Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: I'm uploading this chapter again because I noticed the formatting was a mess when I uploaded it the first time. Thanks for the review, Arlene! I loved it, as usual. Enjoy and review!**

Horatio and Jenna locked eyes and her resolve broke. She held herself together throughout the op, through the medical care by emts and doctors, and the steadfast acclamations of her peers. She could do it no longer. She did nothing to stop the tears from running. Hands were trembling across the top of the sheet and she let them quiver. Horatio removed his jacket and tossed it on the counter under the window. She followed him across the room with her eyes and smiled as he unbuttoned his cuffs and rolled up his sleeves. He perched at the edge of a chair and pulled it as close to the bed as possible. He lifted one of her shaking hands and steadied it, bringing it to his lips for a kiss. He chose his words carefully, "Are you laughing at me, Detective Quinn?"

"It looked like you were getting ready to work me over for a minute there."

He looked away for a moment at the mere suggestion. "I would never."

"I know," she said. "I just love you."

"I love you, too." He wanted to brush the tears off of her battered face but feared hurting her. He took a tissue from the box on the bedside table and tried to dry them. For every one he managed to dry, ten more emerged. "I'm proud of you," he said.

"No, you're not."

"I'm not?"

"No. Mad at me for going under. Relieved that it's over. Pleased, perhaps, that you were right all along. But not proud."

"That," he said, "is simply not true. You were brave and strong. You never gave up. You completed the task you were given. You're a hero. I am so proud of you."

Her voice shook as hard as her hands and came out in a whisper. "I did everything wrong. I did things," she said, "that I shouldn't have done to get in. I never used my safe word when I knew I wasn't safe. I almost got myself raped. I almost got my CI killed." She pulled her hands away from his and covered her eyes with them, not wanting to see. Not wanting to be seen. "Everyone keeps coming in here telling me how great I was. I'm waiting for my reprimand. When is that going to happen?"

"I'm sure there is no reprimand coming. Regardless of how things went down, your mission was a success. You, and your CI, got out alive and a criminal was put away for a long time. Sometimes that's all we can ask for."

Jenna spent a few days convalescing, wrapping her head around what had happened, and hanging out with her nieces, but she wanted to get back to work. An important conversation had to happen with Horatio before she could feel comfortable on the job, and tonight she geared herself up for it. She opened a bottle of wine and waited for him to come home. When she heard his car pull into the driveway, she poured them each a glass.

"Hi, sweetheart," he said as he entered the living room and reached for the glass she handed him. He kissed her mouth and sipped his drink. "Everything alright?" She wore a haunted expression which had stayed on her face since her return from the hospital. He walked on eggshells around her and sensed that she was about to unload on him.

"I think we need to talk," she said. She moved to the opposite side of the island counter, placing a physical barrier between the two. The symbol did not go unnoticed. They each sipped some more. He, waiting patiently. She, working on her nerve. "This is the point in a relationship where I usually leave."

"Jenna - "

Jenna held her hand up to stop him. "Please, let me finish. You can't seem to understand that I'm just as all in with my job as you are with yours. I have worked hard, for years, to get where I am in the department and to earn people's respect. This last assignment did not end the way I hoped it would, but it was considered a success by everyone. You second guessed me and that caused me to second guess myself. Not being able to trust myself is something I have worked long and hard on. I cannot afford for anyone to shake it. You have to trust me and my team, and . . .I'm not as," she swallowed the word old, "experienced as you are. I have things that I want to do."

Somewhere, Horatio found his voice and interrupted her, "We've never really discussed our age difference. Does it bother you?"

"No. It never has. That is not at all what this is about. Personally, I'm completely fulfilled. But professionally. . . there are things I want to do. Things I want to try out. I like undercover work. I need to know that I can do my job and not worry about you, and what you would think, and what you would DO. I can't do my best work if in the back of my head I'm afraid you're going to tattle on me. But I love you. More than I have ever loved any man. And I don't want to leave this relationship."

Horatio let out the breath he had been holding. "I love you, Jenna. And I do trust you. I cannot imagine getting through life without you anymore. I can't promise I won't worry, and sometimes hate what you are doing." What she was asking of him went against everything he felt about how to treat the woman in his life. "Give me another chance. All I can promise is that I will try. We will figure out a way to make it work. We can take it one step, one assignment, at a time."

Jenna felt unsure. Felt that leaving may be the best option, but she meant it when she said she never loved a man more than Horatio. She stepped around the counter and took his hand. "Ok," she said.

"Ok? You won't leave me?"

Jenna shook her head and Horatio pulled her close to him. "I can promise you one thing," he said. He placed his hands on the side of her face and kissed her. When the kiss ended he said, "I promise I will never tattle on you."

Jenna laughed and said, "Good," then leaned in for another kiss.

"Now go get dressed. I'm taking you out."

"I'm not going out looking like this. I still have bruises on my face."

"Yes, you are. You're going to put on that blue dress that I love, hold on to my arm, and keep your head high."

She found him both annoying and endearing. "Ok. but I thought I was bossing you around tonight."

"You've done enough bossing for one night. Now it's my turn." He dove in for another kiss.


End file.
